"Then we're going to go south through Chelster, and the distance sounds like a long way. Riga took a small slice of bread from the apprentice's plate, broke the hard crust and tore the blackened inside into his mouth.

"It's a long way, it should be thousands of miles away, and it will take at least a month to get there. The wizard didn't deny it, he nodded before opening his mouth in concern. "There is a good chance that our tribe will be drawn into a large-scale war, after all, the army of His Excellency the Grand Duke of Longinus will be enough to complete the patrolling and taxation of the territory. ”

"War can kill some people. Riga stopped stuffing food into her mouth, and unconsciously tore the bread into strips with her hands as if she were distracted.

"But this is also the only way out for the tribe, otherwise more people will starve to death. The wizard pushed the saucer away from the plate in front of him, and replied to the warrior with a serious face as the clay vessel rubbed against the wooden table.

"I'll take the offer and try to bring people back. The Quaid didn't think for long, he quickly cleared his throat and replied, then proceeded to shove the food into his mouth. This is perhaps the practice of every warrior who has held the hammer of power, and the ancient glory has made them put the survival of the tribe first.

With a complex glow of admiration mixed with jealousy, the young wizard glanced up at Riga from his pupils. But then he retracted it into the shadow of his hood and refocused on the food in front of him. It wasn't until he had eaten all the bread on his plate that the young magician rolled his Adam's apple. "In the name of Hirag, I swear that Daddy Thorne will be safe in the days you are gone. ”

"Divine grace is eternal. May the Hilage always favor you. Riga rubbed her hands together and shook all the crumbs onto the plate. It was only when there was no obvious debris on it that he folded his clean hands over his shoulders and saluted solemnly to the wizard. Then the hunter pulled out his chair and stood up, glanced at the sorcerer sitting in stone with some silence, and walked out of the room slowly and rhythmically. The iron pieces at the bottom of Moulton's hoplite boots struck the floor with a crisp sound like the sound of a drum.

The Quaid's trade with the merchants was simple, as soon as they brought the furs as goods, the caravan would check their integrity and coat color, and set a price for the Quaid's equivalent value. Although there will be some quarrels between them, the merchant Casa is always able to resolve the conflict.

As he walked out the door, Riga squinted at the sun, but then he put his hood on and hid his face in the dark shadows to hide from the pinpricks. Glancing at both sides of the trade from afar, the Quaid rounded the chaotic crowd and walked to the other side of the camp with light steps. It was the ruins of the sorcerer's quarters, and the ground was still covered with a layer of snow that had not yet fully melted, mixed with a dirty, coarse grain of salt and grayish embers, making it impossible for the Quaid to see the difference between the two. The undestroyed basement resembles the gaping mouth of a monster, and the ancient skin scrolls inside have been emptied by the young wizard, leaving only a large pit with a gentle slope in the ground.

Slowing down to the bottom of the pit, Rriga came to a hidden corner with a cave three feet wide. He pounded his fist at the entrance of the cave, and before he could wait, an agile black shadow pounced. Like a long arrow shot out of the darkness, the attacker pounced on the hunter so hard that the strong warrior needed to retreat to cushion the impact.

"Whew. The shadow made a sound that resembled a dog's barking, and arched its head over Rigga's cloak. The fishy smell of saliva from the hot black nose and mouth stained the new brown cloak, but the Quaid did not stop the beast in its tracks. With jagged gray-white fur and sky-blue eyes, this shedding snow bear has patches of old moss-like hair. Where the hair is shed, new silver-gray hairs are revealed, like a hillside that has not yet melted winter snow in spring, and the edges of the patches are uneven and mottled.

"Stop yelling. Riga laughed and let out a low sigh before moving the bear's head to the side. Two months had allowed the freed cub to adapt to the cruel ice field, and now the growing beast was about three feet long and about one foot eight inches wide at the shoulders. Even though relatively thin, it is clearly able to hunt on its own.

Touching the snow bear's somewhat shriveled belly, Riga stuck her head into the cave and sniffed it. A rich, undissipating stench erupted from inside, causing the Quaid to quickly retract their heads. Breathing heavily in the slightly chilly air, the hunter patted the bear on the head. "Not bad, little one. It looks like you've been able to hunt on your own. ”

A keen sense of smell allows the hunter to smell the blood hidden in the stench, the smell of prey that has not been dead for a long time. He crouched down and wrapped his arms around the snowbear's neck, then shook the beast's head vigorously. "Live, live on the ice. ”

With his palms brushing the stiff hairs on the bear's neck, Riga stripped of his gloves and let the tame beast whimper comfortably. Until the unbearable hunger made it get up, and after a few low screams, it left the gentle slope of the pit. The beast began to hunt, and the Quaid returned to their newly built houses in the camp.

Pushing aside the fur that was blocking the doorway, Riga lowered his head, intending to slip under the relatively low door. "Shake the mud off your boots. But the sudden sound from the house made him retreat outside the house in a daze, and it was not until the muddy water was shaken off on the planked staircase that the hunter re-entered the room.

"Daddy, how much food did we get, can we have a meal today?" Riga untied the sword belt from her waist and walked into the room with her leather boots on the floor.

The sword strap removed from the puppet warrior's mutilated body was delicate and sturdy, and the silver light flashing on the dozen smooth metal rings made the old warrior blink. "Enough to eat. But you probably won't be able to enjoy it. ”

Riga, who was hanging the leather sword belt from the wooden pegs, was stunned, and then he walked over to the boiling pot above the fire. "It smells good, it's been a long time since I've had a stew with mushrooms in it. The hunter scooped a portion of it into his mouth with a spoon, and even though the hot soup made his mouth feel as painful as if it had been set on fire, the Quaid swallowed it with all his might. After waiting for a dozen breaths without saying a word, Riga exhaled vigorously. "It felt like a stab in the throat, but unfortunately I couldn't taste the soup. ”

"This is my dinner with Gus!" Reaching for the blackened copper spoon he had used, the old warrior glared at Riga. "Spain just had someone come to you, saying that the Terran merchant was going to invite you. ”

"Kasa, invite me?" Riga thought strange, but the old warrior replied in the affirmative.

"Yes, indeed. He invited a lot of young people, and even Gal had already rushed over. I heard that there is unlimited ale and bread in it. ”

"I'll take a look. "By the time he heard the ale, the hunter had already reached for the belt of his sword. And when he answered, the old soldier could only see him striding out the door. The floor wailed as the Quide trampled hard, but the old warrior's shouts were obscured by it.

When Rriga arrives at the house surrounded by Terran mercenaries, he realizes that this is not what he imagined. There was no assorted food, no steaming stew, just a large group of warriors sitting on wooden benches prepared in advance. But there were two large barrels around, and even though the skilled carpenter didn't let it spill a hint of wine, the Quaids were still focused on the ale that was about to arrive.

Riga quickly found a spot, and Gal and a group of young men who followed him had already occupied the stools, and were relatively close to the barrels under the care of the Terran mercenaries.

"What are we going to do?" Riga patted his companions on the shoulders, eventually unstrapping the sword from his waist. "Isn't it about Kasa?"

"I don't know, but it has something to do with hiring us. Garr, who had many friends and was well-informed, replied, rubbing the braid from his beard in dismay. "Wars between the Terrans require the blood of our warriors. The hunter, who already knew the inside story, did not refute, and only slowly opened his mouth after moving his buttocks: "We will bleed, but the Terrans will shed more." ”

Kasa soon walked in from the outside, and the bald, sturdy businessman didn't talk nonsense, but cut straight to the point. "The deal between us is done, but your friend Casa has even better news. ”

The merchant standing in the middle of the Quid warriors didn't continue, because a strong Terran warrior came out from behind, it was the wandering knight. The knight was clad in a tightly strung chain mail, but the long semi-monk-like coat covered everything except his arms. There was only one unevenly dyed blackbird on the long coat, and the rough appearance looked like a drunken casual graffiti by a lacquer maker. But it was a knight's badge, representing his status.

The wandering knight wore a long, wide and thick cowhide sword belt around his waist, and a long sword hung from one side. The scabbard and style are nothing special, but the silver-encrusted hilt and counterweight make it look noble and elegant. Half of his shield was exposed behind his left shoulder, made of heavy oak and covered with a layer of tough raw cowhide, which was fastened by a dozen iron nails that shimmered with black metal.

"The God of Wisdom swears by My sword and shield, and what follows is the truth. The Raven Knight swore with his sword, and only after the oath was over did he put his weapon back into its scabbard and take out a piece of parchment folded into four layers from his bosom.

It was a recruiting order! The familiar tawny color made Riga recognize it at first sight.

ps: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I wrote such a chapter in one night in the dark, let alone 12,000 reminders. The beginning of this volume is a bit astringent, and it can't be written quickly at all. I hope that in the future, everyone will urge more -- six thousand is the rhythm of the sky.